Delicious and perfectly sweet strawberry milk tea with boba is easy to make at home. Get step-by-step instructions and expert tips.
CONTENTS
Recipe Highlights
- Strawberry bubble tea (also called strawberry milk tea) is a fruity drink made with green tea, strawberry syrup, milk, ice, and tapioca balls.
- Store-bought or homemade strawberry syrup can be used. The syrup colors, sweetens, and flavors the drink.
- Tapioca balls are the “bubble” (or boba) in bubble tea. This recipe uses dry, store-bought tapioca balls that can be cooked in hot water.
- This recipe is made with a mellow green tea but any kind of tea can be used.
- My secret to the best bubble tea is to make it with warm tapioca balls. It makes a huge difference.
RELATED: Easy Bubble Tea Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Green tea
Loose tea, tea sachets, or tea bags can be used but I prefer using green tea in tea bags for making this drink since it’s easy, mess-free, and I don’t need the highest quality tea. Any kind of green tea can be used. - Tapioca balls
They’re sold dry so you just need to boil them in water to soften them up. - Strawberry syrup
The syrup what gives this drink its pretty pink color and sweet, strawberry flavor. Use store-bought or homemade strawberry syrup, but if you’re using homemade, make it ahead of time. - Milk
Whole milk is used to make the drink creamy, but any kind of milk can be used. - Water
Water is used to cook the boba and to make the green tea. Use filtered water, if possible, for the tea. - Ice
Use filtered water to make ice for a better tasting drink.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to see the recipe.
- Steep tea in hot water.
Discard tea bags and let tea cool. - Cook tapioca balls.
Follow directions on package but all that’s involved is boiling tapioca balls in water for a few minutes.
- Put tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup.
- Add ice.
- Pour in green tea.
The green tea should have cooled down. - Top with milk.
Serve immediately. Stir before drinking.
RELATED: Taro Bubble Tea
Recipe Notes
If you’re using homemade strawberry syrup, make that first.
The syrup can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Use very warm tapioca balls.
My secret to making the best bubble tea is to make the tapioca balls, then assemble and serve the drink while the boba are still warm. The warm tapioca balls have the perfectly soft, chewy texture. Just be sure to not use hot tapioca balls since you don’t want to burn your mouth.
Make it extra creamy with half & half.
Instead of milk, half & half will make the drink decadent and delicious.
RELATED: Strawberry Butterfly Pea Flower Latte Bubble Tea
Expert Tips
- The green tea can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Instead of steeping tea in hot water then cooling it down, make cold brewed green tea. Put tea bags and cold water (same amount in the recipe) in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours then remove tea bags.
- Boba can’t be made ahead of time since they’ll start to harden after 4 hours. Ideally, boba should be made, cooled down a bit, then served right away in a drink.
- Bubble tea is served with a wide straw so that you’ll get some tapioca balls each time you take a sip of the drink.
RELATED: Matcha Bubble Tea (Matcha Milk Tea)
Questions You May Have
Yes, since this drink includes green tea, which contains caffeine.
While it’s best to make the tapioca balls and add them to the drink while they’re still warm (which is the best way to drink boba tea), they will last for about 4 hours before they get hard and tough to eat.
Since boba is cooked tapioca balls, and the drink is served with a wider straw so that you can sip up the boba with the milk tea, they’re meant to be chewed and not swallowed whole.
Boba are the tapioca balls at the bottom of the cup of any bubble tea. The tapioca is made from the starch of the cassava root.
RELATED: Jasmine Milk Tea (Jasmine Bubble Tea)
Related
- Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
- Brown Sugar Milk Tea
- Bubble Tea with Cold Foam
- Thai Iced Tea with Boba
- Strawberry Cold Foam
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Strawberry Bubble Tea (Strawberry Boba Milk Tea)
INGREDIENTS
Strawberry Milk Tea
- 2 tea bags green tea
- ⅔ cup water
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup strawberry syrup
- 1 cup ice
Tapioca Balls
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE TEA
- Boil ⅔ cup of water.If using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set the water to 175°F. Use filtered water if possible.
- Steep tea bags in hot water for 3 minutes.
- Discard tea sachets and let tea cool.
COOK TAPIOCA BALLS
- Boil 2 cups of water and add tapioca balls.Boil water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Tapioca balls should be soft all the way through.(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
- Drain tapioca balls.
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Put tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup. Add ice, green tea, and milk.Use an extra wide straw to drink. Serve immediately and stir before drinking.
NOTES
- If you’re using homemade strawberry syrup, make this first. It can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- The green tea can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Loose tea, tea sachets, or tea bags can be used but I prefer using green tea in tea bags for making this drink since it’s easy, mess-free, and I don’t need the highest quality tea. Any kind of green tea can be used.
- Instead of steeping tea in hot water then cooling it down, make cold brewed green tea. Put tea bags and cold water (same amount in the recipe) in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours then remove tea bags.
- Whole milk is used to make the drink creamy, but any kind of milk can be used. Half & half will make the drink extra creamy.
- My secret to making the best bubble tea is to make the tapioca balls, then assemble and serve the drink while the boba are still warm. The warm tapioca balls have the perfectly soft, chewy texture. Just be sure to not use hot tapioca balls since you don’t want to burn your mouth.
- Boba can’t be made ahead of time since they’ll start to harden after 4 hours. Ideally, boba should be made, cooled down a bit, then served right away in a drink.
- Bubble tea is served with a wide straw so that you’ll get some tapioca balls each time you take a sip of the drink.